Discharge Measurements of Water Erupted from Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone National Park

To measure the volume of water erupted from Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park, a 3-inch portable Parshall flume (Parshall, 1950) was deployed for four days in April 2025. The flume was placed in an outflow channel approximately 230 meters west of Old Faithful geyser (44.46097, -110.83099). To prevent water from flowing under or around the flume, and to ensure flow was directed through the flume, sandbags were stacked on the drainage banks and below the flume. The flume was leveled both laterally and along its longitudinal axis with a carpenter’s level. A schematic illustration of the portable Parshall flume is presented in Figure 11 of the report by Kilpatrick and Schneider (1983). A stilling well, attached to the side wall of the flume and extending 2” below its base, is fed by a 3/8-inch hole. To measure water level in the flume’s stilling well, a factory calibrated, 5 pounds per square inch (psi) In-Situ Inc. Level TROLL 700 vented pressure transducer with an internal data logger was placed vertically in the stilling well. A 6-foot vented cable terminated with a desiccant cartridge was attached to the transducer to prevent water from entering the sensor and logger. Water level and temperature were recorded every 10 seconds for the duration of the experiment except for occasional visual checks and a daily rinse of the transducer with fresh water. The data was downloaded periodically to ensure that measurements were being recorded. The resulting data file can be described as follows: In-Situ_WaterLevelData.csv, with columns DateTime, ElapsedTime_Seconds, Pressure_PSI, Temp_DegC, and Depth_ft To validate the pressure transducer measurements, a 12-inch eTape liquid level sensor (Adafruit Industries product #2656) was connected to a Campbell Scientific CR1000 data logger. The eTape sensor was placed resting on the bottom of the Parshall flume’s stilling well and stabilized such that it remained vertical. Water levels were recorded every 10 seconds. Water levels measured with the eTape sensor were recorded only during 13 daytime eruptions. The resulting data file can be described as follows: eTape_WaterLevelData.csv, with columns DateTime, RECORD, WaterDepth_in, and WaterDepth_ft References: Parshall, R.L., 1950. Measuring water in irrigation channels with Parshall flumes and small weirs, United States Department of Agriculture, Circular 843, 1-62.

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